1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cigar corer for preparing a cigar for an easy draw by the smoker. More specifically, the invention relates to a collapsible cigar corer which may be folded into a pocket knife like a blade.
2. Description of the Related Art
Cigar cutters and corers come in many unusual shapes and forms. Over the time, they became an elusive collectible item. However, cigar cutters and corers are not just smoking memorabilia, they also fulfill an important task for the expectant smoker. Cigars, as is commonly known, have a closed cap. The cap is the area were the outer wrapper leaf of the cigar is fastened down. The cap prevents the cigar from unraveling. However, before the cigar can be smoked, the cap has to be cut, clipped, plugged, pierced or punctured to provide the smoker with the desired draw. The size of the opening in the cap is somewhat subject to personal taste, but also depends on the size of the cigar or the amount of desired draw. The opening should provide a comfortable draw without tearing of the wrapper. Thus, it is preferable to have a choice of cutting or piercing devices available for different sizes or types of cigars.
One known cigar cutter, commonly referred to as a "guillotine" type cigar cutter, includes an aperture for inserting a cigar tip to be cut, and a pivotable or slidable blade for cutting a portion of the cigar cap at or adjacent to the aperture. Such devices are embodied in various shapes and forms, and may be incorporated in an assembly including additional tools, such as a collapsible pocket knife assembly. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 899,408 discloses a pocket-knife assembly including a collapsible knife and various other collapsible tools. An aperture on the body of the pocket-knife assembly is used for inserting a cigar cap. To cut the cigar cap, the collapsible knife is pivoted adjacent the aperture.
Another type of cigar cutter known in the art consists of an aperture and a fixed blade along the circumference of the aperture. The aperture and circumferential blade are shaped and configured to cut a cigar cap by inserting the cigar cap into the aperture, urging the cigar against the aperture, and rotating the cigar relative to the aperture, whereby the circumferential blade produces a cut which separates a predetermined portion of the cigar cap. The size of the portion of the cigar cap being separated depends on the diameter of the cigar and, therefore, the aperture diameter is adapted to accommodate only a limited range of cigar cap thicknesses. Thus, in practice, different aperture sizes are used for cutting different cigar types.
Other devices that provide an opening in the cap of a cigar provide for an opening by coring into the cigar cap. These devices generally include a cylindrical corer that is retractable into a larger cylindrical device which than can be, for example, attached to a key chain and thus, is always easily available to the cigar smoker. However, certain smokers prefer not to carry either an individual cylindrical corer around, nor do they choose to carry a corer on a key chain in their pockets.